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Ulrik Bengtsson has stepped down from his role as Chairman of the Board at affiliate group Raketech to embark on another business leadership endeavour – coming after leadership tenures at William Hill and Betsson.
The company confirmed that Bengtsson has accepted a position as a ‘full-time CEO of an international company’, but it is not yet clear which company this may be. Given Bengtsson’s employment history, it is possible this could be a leadership role at a major gaming group.
Bengtsson first joined the Raktech board in April 2021, replacing Christian Lundberg. While filling the role on a part time basis, he has also been part time Chair of City Gaming Ltd which operates the Game Nation UK slot and arcade operator – it is unclear whether this role too is coming to an end.
“Stepping back into a full-time CEO role feels like the right professional move for me, and the opportunity I have been presented with is compelling,” Bengtsson remarked.
“I am confident that the entire Raketech board and executive team remain dedicated to strengthening the balance sheet and shaping an exciting strategy that I expect will be unveiled to investors in the coming months.
“I firmly believe Raketech has the potential to be a key player in the global iGaming ecosystem, both now and in the future, and that the company is well-positioned to generate substantial returns for all shareholders over time.”
A storied career
Bengtsson is a veteran of the betting and gaming sector while also having considerable experience of media, having worked as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media between April 2023-October 2024.
His most notable tenures in betting were as CEO of Betsson Group and William Hill respectively. He held the leadership position at the former between 2012-2017, first as CEO of Betsson Group and then as President and Group CEO of Betsson AB.
While CEO of William Hill from 2018-2022 he played a role in steering the company through transformative times. This of course included the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the company forced to close its extensive network of UK and Irish betting shops due to lockdown conditions, and struggle – like the rest of the industry – with the halt to sports activity.
Much more significant though was the change in ownership of William Hill. The company was acquired by Caesars Entertainment for £2.9bn in September 2020, with the American entertainment conglomerate mostly interested in Hills’ US assets.
Caesars would later sell the non-US properties to 888holdings, the firm’s current owner, and Bengston stepped down from CEO duties shortly before the takeover was completed in summer 2022.
“The DNA of William Hill needs to be that we want our customers to have a positive experience,” he told the SBC Leaders magazine in 2021 in the midst of his CEO tenure.
“We want them to have fun, we want them to engage with each other, we want them to enjoy betting on sports and enjoy the event, that’s what we’re all about.”
Though Raktech’s performance has been struggling of late, Bengston’s experience of betting industry leadership has likely made him a strong contender for CEO positions at other major gaming groups – Entain is notably looking for a new CEO at the moment, though this is only speculation.
Of course, as it has not been confirmed which company Bengston is joining, he may not be heading to another betting leadership role at all, and could perhaps be heading back to media, or to a brand new endeavour entirely.
